AutoFlight, a global high-tech start-up dedicated to advancing electric aerial vehicles for logistics and urban air mobility solutions, has marked a historical moment by delivering its first electric air taxi, the Prosperity aircraft, to a customer in Japan.
The five-seater Prosperity aircraft was handed over to the customer, a pioneering Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) operator in Japan. The operator, to be identified in due course, is currently developing plans for demonstration eVTOL flights at the 2025 Osaka World Expo, as well as a wider AAM rollout in Japan.
Recently, AutoFlight’s CarryAll, a cargo variant of the Prosperity, received Type Certification from China’s Civil Aviation Administration on March 22, 2024. This certification makes it the world’s first eVTOL aircraft over one ton to achieve this milestone.
Tian Yu, founder and co-chairman of AutoFlight, said: “The official delivery of the first Prosperity to a customer signifies a new chapter for AutoFlight as we begin to ship our innovative electric aircraft to global markets. Additionally, on the cargo side the receipt of orders for over 200 CarryAll planes already demonstrates a very strong market demand for our products.”
The recent CarryAll orders include 30 units for ZTO Express, a NYSE and HKEX dual-listed company and one of the world’s largest logistics companies.
Referring to CarryAll receiving Type Certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Mr Tian said: “Successfully completing this certification was a lengthy and extremely rigorous process and I would like to thank the review team and all my colleagues for their painstaking efforts. This achievement establishes a robust foundation for AutoFlight’s forthcoming large-scale commercial operations.”
Securing TC airworthiness certification is vital for ensuring the safety and market entry of the aircraft for commercial operations. The CarryAll, with a maximum take-off weight of 2 tons, operates autonomously and on electric power. Its compliance verification encompassed various aspects, including performance control, stability, lift/thrust system, structural strength/composite blades, battery system, avionics system, electrical system, and flight performance. The thorough review process involved manufacturing compliance inspections and the witnessing of 46 major compliance verification tests at the equipment level, system level and structural component level. Additionally, the CarryAll airworthiness certification prototype completed eight major compliance tests, including plateau performance, data link and ground station functions, involving 156 flights and exceeding a total flight distance of 10,000 kms.
In February, AutoFlight presented the world’s first inter-city electric air taxi demonstration flight between the southern Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai. AutoFlight’s Prosperityaircraft completed the significant milestone by autonomously flying the 50km (31 miles) route from Shenzhen to Zhuhai. The flight across the Pearl River Delta took just 20 minutes, a journey that would require three hours by car. This achievement marks the world’s first public flight of an eVTOL aircraft on a cross-sea and inter-city route.
The route between Shenzhen and Zhuhai is part of the future air traffic scenario planned by the regional government as it develops its ‘low-altitude economy’ strategy that will see the opening of thousands of vertiports and hundreds of eVTOL air routes across the Greater Bay Area in southern China. The demonstration flight took place in one of the world’s most densely populated areas, home to circa 86 million people, and in an airspace that borders multiple international airports, including Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Macau. The flight showcased AutoFlight’s cutting-edge aviation technology in a highly complex environment, and its dedication to safety and regulatory compliance in pushing the boundaries of urban air mobility.
